One Moment In Time
by dreamBIg25
Summary: Since Will became the captain of the Flying Dutchman, he and Elizabeth have one last day ashore before he sets sail.
1. Prologue

One Day

_recap_

After Will, Elizabeth, Barbossa, and the rest of Jack's swashbuckling crew rescued their Captain from the horrific depths of Davy Jones' Locker, they had set off to take back the sea that the pirates of the world had possessed for so many years from the grasps of Lord Cutler Beckett and the East India Trading Company. After all, if Beckett had control over the seas, all pirates were inevitably doomed. Once they had caught up with the _Dutchman_ and the _Endeavor_ (Beckett's ship), Jack and the crew battled with both Jones' crew and the EITC (East India Trading Company). During the battle, Will and Elizabeth were spontaneously married by Barbossa since Beckett had previously robbed them of their proper wedding when they were both arrested for helping Jack escape jail. Jack had seized the heart of Davy Jones and was trying to decide what to do: stab the heart and become immortal, no, don't stab it because it's too big of a burden for Captain Jack Sparrow. He can't be bound to such a duty for an entire decade. Meanwhile, Will Turner was fighting Jones when Jones stabbed Will in the chest, very near his heart. Elizabeth cried out for her love though she could not help him, she wept as she watched her husband slowly slip into unconsciousness. Jack finally made his decision. He helped Will's hand to grasp the handle of Jack's broken sword and with Will's fingers wrapped tightly around it, Jack plunged the sharp tip into the heart of Davy Jones. The last thing Will remembered hearing as he went out completely was the _Dutchman's _crew chanting "_part of the crew, part of the ship, part of the crew, part of the ship._" Turner's heart was carved out and placed in the chest that once held the heart of Davy Jones. Will was now the captain of the dreaded _Flying Dutchman_ for the ship must always have a captain. This meant that Will was bound to the _Flying Dutchman_ for ten years with the duty of ferrying the souls of those that die at sea to the land of the dead, but where they were bound his wife, Elizabeth, could accompany him. Will came to realization that he would have to leave his beautiful new bride in the land of the living for ten years while he was stuck with his burden. In return for him having to carry out this duty for so long, he and his beloved had one day, and one day only, to be together before he had to depart.

_End recap_


	2. Sand Through My Fingers

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Will Turner or Elizabeth Swann. They are Disney characters.

Chapter 1: Sand Through My Fingers

Elizabeth saw Will's figure growing as she rowed her lifeboat closer and closer to the deserted shore on which they were to spend their final day.

As he saw her approaching, Will Turner smiled at the beauty of his wife and soaked it in so he could have something to just close his eyes and see whenever he grew lonely in his dismal cabin aboard the _Dutchman_. He wanted so much to able to be with her and to buy a house and start a new family together, but he could not do this. He had no choice but to carry out the duty that was now before him, at least if he wanted to be reunited with his true love once again in ten years to break the curse at last.

Elizabeth was relieved once she reached the opposite side of the long stretch of water which seemed to go on forever. She pulled the small boat up on to the sand just enough so that the water wouldn't wash it away. Once she made sure that it wouldn't float back out to sea, she ran to Will and they swung each other around in a strong, unbreakable hug. They shortly let go and just stood there staring at each other with eyes that were open, yet closed, readable, yet neither could interpret the others'. It was clear that they only had eyes for each other.

Elizabeth gave up on trying to sort out the many emotions that were visible in Will's eyes so he did the same, and they both found each others lips, finally claiming what was rightfully theirs, in a passionate, tender kiss that was deeper with emotion and understanding of each other than ever before.

Will broke off to speak.

"I love you with all of my heart Elizabeth Swann. I should have told you every single day of my life but I never had the courage. I do now though. I love you; always have, always will."

"Oh, Will! I love you too. I always had a hunch that you may have some feelings for me when we were younger, but I never said anything because my father never would have allowed us to be together. But I say this now and I mean it with every part of me, mind, body, and spirit. I would die for you Will Turner. I would give up my soul if it were the only way to be with you ever again."

"But luckily, it isn't the only way. Elizabeth, love, if you decide after I leave that you want to move on, that you don't want to wait, and you want to find someone else and have a family, I will try my best to understand your decision."

"Will, don't even think of such things! My heartstrings are forever woven with yours. We shall never part as long as I live for I shall never love another. You are the only one don't you see? You are the first and last love in by life."

It was exactly what he had been hoping for. He needed a promise from Elizabeth that she would stay faithful to him and he just got one. If he had the promise, it would give him something to live for, something to hold onto and to remind him of why he must do what he would have to do every single day. With this promise, he could get through.

Elizabeth sat down on the sand of the secluded beach and motioned for Will to do the same. He sat beside her and looked at her with a longing in his eyes and Elizabeth finally figured out what his eyes were saying. He wanted her, and he wanted her now! But she wasn't quite ready for that yet, there were still so many things that she wanted to talk about first.

"I love the sand. Since I was a young girl, I have always loved picking up a handful and just letting the grains run through my fingers several at a time. For some reason, it makes me feel better."

"I used to sit and play with the sand for hours. I had so much fun."

So the couple waited. They put off their time to be together, joined as one, to just sit and let the sand run through their fingers and think about life, each other, and whatever thought crossed their mind.


	3. The Long Goodbye

**A/N:** I would like to thank **Girlz-Rule** and **StarSplit144** for R&R-ing. 

**Disclaimer:** once again, I do not own the characters of Will and Elizabeth. They belong to Gore, Jerry, and everyone else at Disney.

Chapter 2: **The Long Goodbye**

A few hours later, Will and Elizabeth sat on the empty shore wrapped protectively and possessively in each others arms. The newlywed couple knew that their time together was running out, for at sunset Elizabeth knew that her beloved Will must leave her, against his wishes, to carry out a duty that was now before him: to ferry the souls of those who died at sea from the world of the living, where he would rather stay with his beautiful bride, to the world of the dead on the opposite side of the horizon. 

"I love you" Elizabeth sighed.

"I love you too, with all my heart. I just can't believe that we are finally married. It makes me so happy to think about it. It's like I've been waiting for it my whole life, and now it's actually happened."

"Do you remember when we were younger? How we would play together every day at Mr. Brown's and even though he got so angry at us we kept on anyways. I remember that whenever he would get mad at me but not you, you would always stand up for me."

"I do remember. I stood up for you because you were wrongly accused. It was both you and I that caused the trouble, not just one of us. I would never have let you take the blame for my actions."

"Oh, Will. You can't leave, you just can't. I will never be able to get by without you here to stand up for me, and to guide me. I will go crazy without my Will!" Silent tears began to flood the young woman's porcelain cheeks, and Will's heart broke to know how much she wished him to stay when there was no way that he could.

"The years that lie before us will be difficult. To be apart for so long will only make us yearn to be together more and more. But we have to be strong, for each other, because once I have fulfilled my task we will again be joined. After all this is over, we can be together. Be strong for me Elizabeth, make it through everyday thinking that we _will_ be together once more. Let that be your reason for living on until we meet again." He then took both her hands in his and held them tight, assuring her that everything would be okay.

Elizabeth clung frantically to Will's arm and he enveloped her in a comforting hug while she silently wept on his shoulder. She knew that he was right, this wasn't goodbye _forever_, they _would _see each other again, she just had to wait; she had to pass the time in some way other than moping and just sitting around waiting for love to return to her life.

She looked into the young man's eyes and could see that his emotions matched her own, meaning that his thoughts also matched the ones that were running through her head right at that moment. They would soon be parted for an entire decade and they had just married. Some needs couldn't be subsided by thoughts of the days when they would reunite, some needs must be met preceding young William's departure to the seas. The two had only hours left until they would be separated and therefore had no time to waste.

Will must have been thinking the same thoughts, for right at that moment he began to kiss Elizabeth more passionately than he had ever kissed in his life. As this continued, Will slowly began to slip the woman's shirt up and over her head and she began to unbutton his dirty, once-white tunic. Soon the two lovers were entwined in an endless mass of flesh as they became one with each other and finally let down any barriers that there may have been between the two of them.


End file.
